Animal Detective

Chapter 274 - 238: Once the Golden Fillet is Worn, It’s a Police Dog From Now On

The fight was about to erupt.

When Li Mo saw Wolf Green suddenly charge at Shen Xin, he instinctively yelled, "Watch out!"

As usual, Shen Xin’s main tactic was to thrust.

He had even specifically brought a 26-inch baton—the longest model—precisely to take advantage of the principle that an inch of length is an inch of strength.

The dog was so fast that swinging or chopping was out of the question.

The creature was incredibly smart. It must have remembered how it got hit the day before, because after leaping into the air, it twisted its head to dodge and went straight for Shen Xin’s arm.

The bite landed.

Shen Xin, however, was completely unfazed.

Shen Xin wouldn’t have come if he wasn’t prepared.

After all, there was no need to risk his life over a dog.

That’s why Shen Xin had stuffed protective sleeves under his loose-fitting jacket.

He had anticipated that Wolf Green would go for his arm and was prepared to use it as a shield.

So if Wolf Green’s eyes were accusing Shen Xin of fighting dirty, they wouldn’t be wrong.

But Shen Xin’s goal was to subdue it. If he had really wanted to use lethal force, a single blow from the police baton would have resulted in a broken bone, at the very least.

Once the dog latched onto his arm, Shen Xin used the momentum to fall backward, pinning it beneath him.

Body weight was another human advantage.

It let out a YELP. Its jaws were clamped shut and wouldn’t let go, but it was pinned firmly to the ground.

It struggled with all its might, but it was useless. Shen Xin threw his full weight on top of it—a hundred and fifty-plus pounds. There was no way it could break free.

Tiger Stripes and Black Panther came over to get in on the action, circling Shen Xin and barking incessantly at the pinned dog, providing some auditory intimidation.

’It feels like I’m holding down a stubborn mule.’

It struggled constantly. After a while, it would get tired and rest for a moment to conserve energy. But as soon as it recovered, it would immediately start struggling again.

This struggle was like reeling in a big fish or breaking a wild horse.

So Shen Xin simply held on, keeping it pinned, waiting to see which of them would give out first.

The dog kept up the struggle for a good several minutes before it finally exhausted itself. It released Shen Xin’s sleeve, and its body went limp.

Most importantly, the look in its eyes had become much clearer.

Wary of a trick, Shen Xin didn’t let go immediately. He kept it pinned for another moment before suddenly releasing his hold and backing away quickly, just in case it tried to pounce on him again.

Still, with Black Panther and Tiger Stripes on watch, it probably wouldn’t be a huge issue.

It didn’t get up immediately, instead remaining on the ground, panting.

Tiger Stripes, however, immediately rushed forward and started barking at it.

It snapped back.

Shen Xin shouted sharply.

Tiger Stripes dodged and began circling nearby.

Wolf Green, for its part, made no further moves.

Shen Xin commanded, "Get up."

It scrambled to its feet, then crouched low, watching Shen Xin with a mixture of wariness and fear.

But whenever Tiger Stripes got too close, it would immediately show its aggression.

Clearly, it had submitted to Shen Xin, but not to Tiger Stripes and Black Panther.

Shen Xin pulled out a collar. Holding the dog’s gaze, he slowly approached to put it on.

It instinctively flinched away.

Shen Xin glared and grunted. The dog immediately froze, not daring to dodge again.

The collar went on, and the leash was clipped in place.

Once the collar was on, its wild days were over. It was a police dog now.

It was still a bit uncomfortable with the collar at first.

Shen Xin pulled it in front of him and ordered it to sit.

It understood. After a brief wiggle of its rear, it sat down.

Above its head, a goodwill icon slowly materialized.

Only then did Shen Xin finally relax. He took a beef jerky stick from his pocket, unwrapped it, and held it out to the dog’s mouth.

"Eat!"

It glanced at Shen Xin, not daring to seize the opportunity to bite his hand. With a flick of its tongue, it took the jerky into its mouth.

The carrot and the stick was a timeless truth.

After swallowing the beef jerky, the look in its eyes cleared up even more. It looked up at Shen Xin, and its tail began to wag involuntarily.

Shen Xin took out more jerky, feeding it, Tiger Stripes, and Black Panther.

He saw the goodwill meter above its head tick up by one bar. ’It must be completely won over now.’

Li Mo came over and squeezed Shen Xin’s arm. He let out a sigh of relief and asked why Shen Xin hadn’t mentioned the protective sleeves, saying he had been worried for nothing.

"I’m not an idiot."

Shen Xin handed the leash to him, telling him to hold it, then went to leash Tiger Stripes and Black Panther.

Unexpectedly, the moment Li Mo took the leash, Wolf Green began to struggle violently, snarling and baring its teeth at him.

Startled, Li Mo instinctively dropped the leash. The dog then actually picked up the leash in its mouth, ran over to Shen Xin, and gestured for him to take it.

Li Mo’s eyes went wide. He pointed at the dog and said indignantly, "Shen Xin, is this dog looking down on me or what?"

Shen Xin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’This one’s got a bit of an ego,’ he thought.

The key was that it was genuinely smart; it seemed to understand everything.

Shen Xin said, "If you want it to respect you, you’ll have to fight it yourself."

At that suggestion, Li Mo immediately shook his head.

"Let’s go."

Having subdued Wolf Green—or rather, Tian Kui—Shen Xin was in a good mood. He called to Li Mo, and they started heading back.

Just as they were leaving, his phone rang.

Shen Xin answered and asked where the caller was.

"The village committee office, right? Okay, I know. I’m heading over now."

"Who was that?"

Li Mo asked curiously.

Shen Xin said, "Someone from the Fangquan Police Station. I had a question for them, but I didn’t expect them to come all the way out here."

He had contacted them yesterday, planning to pay them a visit after dealing with Wolf Green, but he hadn’t expected them to come in person.

Li Mo assumed it was about a case and was tactful enough not to ask any more questions.

He worked in logistics, not on active cases, and being an office worker, he was well aware of the principle of not asking about things that weren’t his business.

Soon, the two of them arrived at the village committee office.

A police car was parked outside.

Two officers were in front of a bulletin board, replacing a poster about preventing telecom fraud.

Tang Xu was there, too.

When he saw Shen Xin approaching with three dogs in tow, he recognized Tian Kui at a glance. "Officer Shen," he said, surprised, "isn’t that the stray dog? You caught him already?"

He looked completely incredulous.